Barn Tour: Joseph updates on what's next for 13 runners
Saffie Joseph Jr.’s career clearly is on an upswing.
He has won seven graded stakes this year with five horses, compared with eight or nine graded-stakes wins each of the last three years. Earnings have grown steadily, topping $10 million in 2022 and 2023, and he’s already at $8 million this year.
“We’re definitely on target,” Joseph told Horse Racing Nation on Monday. “… We've got good horses and obviously great help, and that's what you need.”
Joseph has 34 horses at Saratoga, which is where he was Monday. He provided updates on the talent in his stable for the latest in HRN’s Barn Tour series.
Skippylongstocking. The 5-year-old son of Exaggerator won the Grade 3 Challenger and then the Oaklawn Handicap (G2) before finishing third last out in the Stephen Foster (G1). He’s pointed to the Whitney (G1) or Charles Town Classic (G2), Joseph said. "We'll probably decide after his next work. Right now he's training towards the Whitney, but his last work will be the deciding factor." Joseph said he thought the Foster was “quite a good run. He was on the pace, then when Kingsbarns made that run, he kind of looked like he was almost done, looked like he would drop back and finish off the board. And then Jose (Ortiz) got into him, and he really finished up well. He had the fastest final eighth in the race, which is very unusual for a horse to be on the lead, basically drop back and then still run the fastest final eighth. So I thought it was a race that we learned some more information on him, and he's legit, in that class.”
Honor D Lady. The 4-year-old Honor Code filly won the Royal Delta (G3) to open the year and scored in the Delaware Handicap (G2) at 1 3/16 miles last out. Next up is the Personal Ensign. “I think the distance really helped her (in the Delaware Handicap). She's a filly that has a lot of stamina. The nine and a half furlongs was basically great for her. So the Personal Ensign, she's going to have to step it up again. But the mile and an eighth at Saratoga has been playing very fast, and so hopefully the course will stay like that and her stamina will come into play.”
Mystic Lake. The 3-year-old Mo Town filly has three wins and two seconds from six starts this year after winning the Miss Preakness (G3) and finishing second in the Victory Ride (3) last out. “She might go to the Monmouth Oaks (G3) this weekend but we're undecided. If not, she's going to go to the Charles Town Oaks (G2). … She's run really well. She obviously won the Miss Preakness and then she just got beat by Brad (Cox's) filly (Emery), who's a nice filly, at Aqueduct. So she's been consistent. Since she's been back on the dirt, her resume looks pretty good.”
Soul of an Angel. In her 36th career start, the 5-year-old daughter of Atreides got her first graded-stakes win in the Ruffian (G2) in May. Then she was fifth in the Ogden Phipps (G1) and dueled with Idiomatic on Saturday in the Molly Pitcher (G3) before losing by a head. “She just got beat by the champion. Just barely got beat, it was a heck of a horse race. Amazing how she ran, the effort she put up. She's going to go the Personal Ensign also, most likely. She's going to nominate to the (Ballerina) also. So she's going to nominate to both, and then the ownership group will talk it over and see which one they want to go.”
R Harper Rose. The 3-year-old Khozan filly won the Forward Gal (G3) in her 2024 debut but is 0-for-3 since, most recently finishing fifth in the black-type Azalea and 11th in the Eight Belles (G2) before that. “She was disappointing last time. I think we're going to give her a break. That's two poor races she put together back to back. When they put together two back-to-back races like that, you have to back off and try to freshen up and come again. And so we're going to back off of her, no plans for her right now. … She'll target the Gulfstream championship meet.”
Haulin Ice. The 3-year-old Cold Front filly, who didn’t race last year, has four wins and three seconds from seven starts this year, most recently winning the Azalea by 9 1/2 lengths. “She's an Arkansas-bred. She ran a huge figure the other day, she ran a 91 Beyer, a 7 Rag. She won the Azalea. She's going to go to the Charles Town Oaks also. … The (Azalea was her) first time stretching out at seven-eighths, she won by nine and ran very fast on all the figures. So she looks like she's promising.”
White Abarrio. Winner of the Whitney (G1) and Breeders’ Cup Classic last year, the 5-year-old son of Race Day rejoined Joseph’s barn after finishing 10th in the Saudi Cup (G1) and fifth in the Met Mile (G1) this year for Rick Dutrow. “We're giving him a break. He's at a farm right now, in Saratoga. So he'll probably spend a couple of weeks there and we'll get him back hopefully sometime in August. And he'll start breezing at Saratoga maybe toward September.”
Catalytic. The 3-year-old son of Catalina Cruiser returned from his 19th-place finish in the Kentucky Derby to finish second by a head in the July 5 Carry Back Stakes at Gulfstream Park. “We shipped him to Saratoga two days ago, and I don't know exactly what race we're going to go in yet. We're going to work him a couple of times here and then decide but he could possibly run at Saratoga. … I think he's getting better. … We don't really know what his best distance is yet, if he wants to stay one turn or two turns. But his race the other day was encouraging. He was a tad unfortunate not to win. He had to wait a bit for racing room, but when he caught up he finished well. So it was a good comeback race after the Derby, and I feel like he's a useful horse. Probably not in the top line of 3-year-olds but probably just right in the second tier.”
Abrumar. This 3-year-old Divisidero colt broke his maiden in December on his second try and then opened 2024 with two wins at Gulfstream. He’s 0-for-3 since, most recently finishing third in the black-type Tale of the Cat Stakes at Monmouth Park. “He's going to probably take a chance in the Saratoga Derby (G1) next week. Stretch him out in distance.”
Bluefield. The 8-year-old mare by Field Commission is 2-for-4 this year after scoring in her two latest starts, including a 3 1/2-length win last out in the black-type Musical Romance. “She's going to run back in a stake at Gulfstream. She won the stake last time. They have another stake in August she'll run back in. After that, the Princess Rooney (G3), that's the target.”
Mish. The 7-year-old gelding is 4: 1-2-1 this year, most recently finishing third in the Speightstown Sprint at Lone Star Park. “We don't know yet where we're going to run him. Last time he ran, we gave him a little break off the race. He was entered to run at Gulfstream, and we scratched him from the stake. We weren't happy with him. So there's no race picked just yet.”
2-year-olds
The Queens M G. This daughter of Thousand Words is 2-for-3 after winning the Schuylerville at Saratoga by 2 3/4 lengths at 44-1 on the heels of a last-place finish in the Astoria in her first start for Joseph. “She's going run right back in the Adirondack (G3). … She was a private purchase. We had a couple little hiccups along the way. And then the first time we ran her, she basically ran last. So it was a bit of a holdup. And last time she redeemed herself. We thought she was filly that was quality, and she showed it last time, so we're very grateful for that.”
Reach for the Rose. This Audible colt debuted in the Royal Palm Juvenile in May and finished second to Gabaldon, who went on to finish second in the Windsor Castle at Ascot. “So he's going to run in a maiden special at Saratoga next week or early August.”